SpaceX and NASA consider boosting Hubble telescope into higher orbit

SpaceX and NASA will study the feasibility of a mission to boost the Hubble Space Telescope into a higher and more stable orbit, the US space agency has announced.

The hypothetical mission, which would use the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, could give Hubble multiple extra years of operation. The telescope has been working since 1990, about 335 miles above Earth in an orbit that is slowly decaying over time.

Spacecraft manufacturer and launch provider SpaceX and its planned human spaceflight Polaris Programme proposed the study, which will be at no cost to the US government, to better understand the technical challenges associated with servicing missions.

The study is non-exclusive, NASA said, and other companies could propose similar studies with different rockets or spacecraft.

There are no plans for NASA to conduct or fund a servicing mission, the agency added. The study is designed to help it understand the commercial possibilities.

Teams expect the study to take up to six months, collecting technical data from both Hubble and the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. The data will help determine whether it would be possible to safely rendezvous, dock, and move the telescope into a more stable orbit.

“This study is an exciting example of the innovative approaches NASA is exploring through private-public partnerships,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington DC. “As our fleet grows, we want to explore a wide range of opportunities to support the most robust, superlative science missions possible.”

While Hubble and Dragon will serve as ‘test models’ for the study, parts of the mission concept could be applicable to other spacecraft, particularly those in near-Earth orbit like Hubble.

At the end of its lifetime, NASA plans to safely de-orbit or dispose of Hubble.

“SpaceX and the Polaris Programme want to expand the boundaries of current technology and explore how commercial partnerships can creatively solve challenging, complex problems,” said Jessica Jensen, vice-president of customer operations and integration at SpaceX.

“Missions such as servicing Hubble would help us expand space capabilities to ultimately help all of us achieve our goals of becoming a spacefaring, multiplanetary civilisation.”